


An Ambush in the Dark

by riselioness



Series: Secrets and Shadows: A Handmaidens Anthology [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Bargaining, Confrontation, Darth Vader has a problem with Sabé, Facing Your Fears, Fear, Fear of Death, Force Healing, Force-choking, Gen, fighting your fear, getting Vadered has not improved Anakin’s temper, negotiating, this is a problem for Sabé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riselioness/pseuds/riselioness
Summary: Anakin Skywalker has never liked Sabé, and as Darth Vader he hates her. His hostility poses a problem for Bail and his allies, so Sabé takes her life in her hands and confronts the issue - and Vader - head on.
Relationships: Sabé & Anakin Skywalker, Sabé & Darth Vader
Series: Secrets and Shadows: A Handmaidens Anthology [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697467
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	An Ambush in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> My head canon is that when the decoy ruse in TPM is revealed, Anakin feels hurt and confused and betrayed - but he can’t let himself feel that way about his beloved Padmé, so he transfers all those feelings onto Sabé, and blames her for the deception. His resentment towards her never goes away, and only grows as he becomes aware of the relationship between her and Obi-Wan. This dynamic features in a small way in my other Sobiwan fics, but here it comes to a head…

It was often said of Coruscant that the city-planet never slept, and this certainly seemed to be true of the lower levels. Even at this time, when most law-abiding citizens of the upper levels had been asleep for hours, a steady trickle of people were making their way alone the street going about their business, the nature of which it was probably best not to speculate about too much.

In her hiding place in a narrow alley half blocked by a refuse unit, Sabé adjusted her blaster in its holster and tried to steady her breathing. If she died tonight, would anyone guess why she had come? Bail probably, and Dormé for sure, but would anyone else believe she could be so reckless?

The fact was, she was at the centre of this mess, and she might be the only one who could get them all out of it. It was hardly the biggest problem facing them right now, but in such a volatile environment it wouldn’t take much for a relatively small diplomatic incident to escalate to full-blown crisis. If it was at all possible for the situation to be neutralised then she had to try.

It had begun - well, she supposed it had begun all those years ago on Naboo, when the decoy strategy had been devised. But in the short term, it had begun when she had first come face to face with Darth Vader.

***

Moff Tarkin had called the meeting with Bail, and they had each brought along several associates. Over the past few weeks and months the Moffs had held meetings with prominent Senators, ostensibly as courtesy calls at the beginning of the new regime, but in reality to make sure they were in no doubt as to who was in charge now.

On this occasion, their first meeting of this kind since the establishment of the Empire, they had expected a certain degree of unpleasantness and thinly-veiled threats from the Imperial party. What they hadn’t expected was the arrival of Darth Vader.

In their short time together on the Tantive III together after Polis Massa, Obi-Wan had told her all he knew of Anakin’s fall, and how he had become Darth Vader. She was one of a very small group of people who knew the truth, including Bail, Dormé and Yoda (wherever he was), and she had a feeling that Anakin - Vader, now - would have guessed that Obi-Wan would tell her everything. She had no idea who amongst the Imperials knew what.

Vader strode into the room at Tarkin’s side, cape billowing out behind him and the other members of the delegation following irrelevant in his wake.

Sabé had heard about him, and she’d seen the holos, but nothing could have prepared her for his impact in person. He filled the room, not only with his height and his dark, menacing bulk, not only with the never-ceasing rasp of his ventilator, but with a sense of dread the like of which she had never encountered before.

His black helmet turned, surveying the room, and stopped abruptly, fixing her with its blank gaze. Bail had begun the introductions, but Vader seemed not to notice until Bail came to her.

“Sabé Mesada, one of my private secretaries.”

“Get her out of here.”

“Lord Vader?” Bail, normally unflappable, was startled.

“Get her out.” At her side, she felt Dormé take a tiny step closer to her.

Bail protested. “My Lord, Secretary Mesada is an essential part of my team; her presence is necessary for -“

“Get her out, I say!”

Everyone else stepped back in the face of his anger, but Sabé stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. All her attention, all her vision, all her fear was fixed on him. Slowly, he lifted his hand and stretched out his fingers towards her.

She felt it first as a tightness in her throat. She opened her mouth to take a breath, but found she couldn’t. Panicking, she pawed at her throat but it was closing, shrinking, she couldn’t breathe -

Sabé tried to back away but her feet wouldn’t move. Darkness was closing in, she was running out of air, was this how she died?

“Lord Vader, that is enough!”

Tarkin’s voice cut through the blackness engulfing her, and suddenly she could breathe again. She staggered backwards, and Dormé helped her into a chair.

Sabé sat gasping for breath, while her colleagues and the Imperial officers alike looked in horror from Vader to her and back again. Vader surveyed her in silence, apart from the relentless hiss of his ventilator.

Finally Tarkin spoke. “Regrettably it appears Secretary Mesada has been struck by a sudden severe headache. I am sure we will all allow her to withdraw, as she no doubt wishes.”

Sabé barely understood what was happening. She looked to Bail; he nodded and gestured to Dormé. Her friend helped her up, and she staggered out on Dormé’s arm.

**

That had been weeks ago, and neither her throat nor Bail’s faction had recovered from the incident. She could breathe, but it took effort and her throat hurt constantly. Her voice was intermittent - she frequently had to whisper, and sometimes it cut out all together. And the incident had left Bail and his allies in a quandary.

Her comrades had limped through the meeting, which had ended with no conclusion other than Vader declaring he would never be in a room with Sabé again. Bail, Sabé and Dormé could hardly tell the others what they were sure was the truth - that he couldn’t stand to see the woman who so closely resembled the wife he had killed - and Bail was adamant that he would not let Vader dictate who would and would not be in his retinue.

Their sources close to the Imperials indicated that they were as mystified as anyone at Vader’s behaviour. They were embarrassed and frustrated at his refusal to back down, but unwilling to contradict him publicly.

Bail and his team had put out the story that Sabé was ill and unable to attend any meetings, which had bought them all some time, but sooner or later the issue would have to be addressed. They needed to be able to talk to Vader, but Bail insisted that if they gave into him with this, where would it end? Sabé had urged Bail to reassign her to another role, and even offered to hand in her resignation, but Bail stood firm. They would find a way to solve this.

Sabé doubted it. She knew how stubborn Anakin Skywalker could be, and now he was Darth Vader it would surely be worse. But it turned out that, in this at least, Bail had a stubborn streak to match Anakin’s.

So she had decided to take matters into her own hands.

***

In her hiding place behind the refuse unit, Sabé realised she was clenching her fists so hard they were hurting. Pull yourself together, she told herself. She needed to be calm when she faced him, or she would be taking this risk in vain.

Ignoring the pain in her throat, she breathed in for a count of four, held it for four, then exhaled for a count of eight. She repeated this several times, consciously releasing the tension in her body with each exhale, working methodically from head to toe. After a while, she was calm enough that she allowed herself to run through her plan again

Sabé was gambling on her guess that, like the rest of them, Vader in fact wanted to let the issue drop - but that having taken such a public and absolute stand on the matter, he was unable to back down without losing face. She also guessed that he was embarrassed by being seen to be acting so irrationally, and sought a way to explain his conduct.

Sabé thought she had a mutually agreeable solution. It was risky, very risky, to catch him by surprise and face him alone, but she couldn’t think of another way to speak with him. There was no way he would agree to a meeting, and if she tried to surprise him with Bail and her colleagues, she had no doubt it would end in her death. This way, with none of her friends or allies present, she hoped to demonstrate that she wasn’t a threat, and it would enable them both to speak freely.

In reality of course, he was just as likely to kill her as listen to her. The blaster she carried was for the benefit of Coruscant’s underworld - she was under no illusions that it would be any use against the Sith Lord.

Sabé had been waiting in her spot for some time already. She had intelligence that he would be passing this way, and she hoped he would be here soon. She wasn’t sure how long her nerve would hold, and if she abandoned this attempt she knew she would never try again.

Twice she heard the tramp of stormtrooper boots and thought he must be approaching, but both times it turned out to be a standard patrol squad. She remained hidden as they passed by.

When he finally came, she knew him by the hush that spread out before him. The voices of the lower levels’ inhabitants seemed to melt away as he approached, as the people strove to avoid his attention and found other places to be. In place of the usual noises of the city she heard the marching of a third squad of troopers, accompanied by the unmistakeable sound of his respirator.

Six white-armoured stormtroopers marched past her hiding place, then his dark shadow, then six more troopers. This was it.

Sabé took a deep breath, and stepped out behind them.

“Lord Vader!”

Somehow she’d imagined herself calling out confidently, but her voice came out as barely more than a whisper. There was no way he could have heard her over the troopers’ boots.

And yet he stopped. As his squad looked to him to try to discern the reason, she realised he had stopped just before she had spoken.

Vader turned slowly to face her. Under the full force of his attention she barely noticed the dozen blasters pointed at her.

Her throat worked but no sound came out. He stood looking at her in silence, then eventually motioned to the stormtroopers, who backed away to out of earshot, but kept their blasters pointed at her.

“You have something to say to me?”

Sabé nodded mutely.

“Then say it.”

She’d spent so long preparing for this moment, but now it was here, she had to force herself to begin. “Lord Vader, I - I know you find my presence distasteful. And I believe I know why - though I won’t speak of that here,” she added hurriedly.

“I also understand you may be concerned I or my colleagues might make certain -” she bit back the word revelations, “- allegations regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. I want to reassure you that it is in no one’s interest for that subject to be discussed. Whatever did or didn’t happen, it’s in the past now, and my colleagues have no desire to revisit it. Or - or anything related to it.”

Sabé paused to catch her breath. She hadn’t made a speech of that length since before - the incident, and she’d never faced an audience like this. She willed her heart to slow down, even just a little.

Vader hadn’t moved. She had hoped he would hear her out, but she hadn’t factored in how intimidating it was to have his undivided attention. She tried to regain her train of thought.

“My presence at meetings and functions is objectionable to you, I understand that. But you must see that your reluctance to tolerate me is putting us all in a difficult position. I believe I may have a solution that could suit us all.

“I’ll come to - just a few meetings. Very occasionally, just for appearances’ sake. And I won’t say anything, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

“I’ll give a reason for why you are angry at me - there are rumours going round, you must have heard them. I’ll say - I’ll say -” She’d had an explanation ready, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember it. “I’ll say whatever you want me to say.

“I’ll confirm it was a headache, that I nearly fainted and had to leave. I won’t make trouble -” Sabé was babbling now and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop. “Just a few meetings, and I’ll barely speak. I won’t - none of us will say anything about…”

Her voice trailed away into silence in the face of his terrible attention.

Far behind him, a couple of stormtroopers looked at each other in apparent puzzlement. What kind of plea was this woman making, and why was Darth Vader listening?

His helmet turned slightly to the side, and Sabé could almost hear him thinking. She was shaking now, trembling so much that her teeth were beginning to chatter. She tried to start her breathing exercises again, to calm herself, but she couldn’t focus.

Finally, Vader spoke.

“Senator Organa has agreed to this?”

“He’ll have to.” She could barely hear her own voice.

“He doesn’t know what you’re proposing?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here.”

Had she just signed her own death warrant? Would they find her body in the morning, shot down by blaster fire or choked to death?

Sabé forced herself to stand still, though every nerve was screaming at her to run. She had to see this out.

Vader’s helmet snapped back to face her. He raised a single black-gloved finger.

“One meeting. And you won’t say a single word.” He clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it back down to his side.

It was an insult. A deliberate offence, both to her and to her colleagues.

She was so relieved.

“That will have to satisfy Senator Organa. And then I never want to see your face again. Do we have a deal?”

Bail would be furious. Sabé squared her shoulders and lifted her chin.

“We have a deal.”

Surely even the stormtroopers could hear her heartbeat now, racing like a speeder engine. Was this light-headedness relief? Fear? Both?

Sabé flexed out her fingers, just to feel something she had any control over. Why was he still looking at her? Surely the conversation was over now, and he would leave? Or had she vastly misjudged the situation; was she going to die after all?

When he did speak, it was something so unexpected that she couldn’t at first respond.

“Your throat - it pains you?” Then, irritated at her lack of reply, “Well?”

“A little.” There was no way she would admit the discomfort it had been causing.

Vader took a step towards her, then another. At his third step Sabé lost her nerve and backed away.

Vader stopped. “Stand still. I won’t harm you.”

In shock or confusion, she obeyed.

In a few slow paces he closed the distance between them. Now Sabé had to strain her neck to look up at him, making her throat hurt even more. She knew she was shaking more than ever.

He filled her senses completely, blocking out everything else. The sound of his ventilator, the sight of his dark bulk. A chill that had nothing to do with the mild night. The sour smell of her sweat. The taste of blood in her mouth.

Darth Vader lifted his hand - his left hand, and not the one he had choked her with. He stretched out his gloved fingers, and gently - how could he be so gentle? - laid them around her throat.

Sabé closed her eyes to block out the sight of him, and all at once she felt him in the Force.

She knew what it was even though she’d never felt anything like it before, even with Obi-Wan. She could perceive him more clearly than if she’d had her eyes open, and the man before her was truly Anakin Skywalker.

At first what she felt from him was anger - no, rage - boiling in him and through him, and spilling out. But then something shifted, and she saw the fear that held him in its grip.

And then she felt the pain, a searing pain that burned though his body, his mind, his soul. Sabé was dimly aware of the tears streaming down her face as she wept with him and for him.

Then her perception shifted again, and she felt her throat through his fingers, through the metal and leather. Then with a sensation she would never be able to describe, she felt something change. Through the Force she felt the bruised tissues healing, the swelling in her larynx subsiding, the tightness in her throat easing.

For the first time in weeks her breath came easily. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, resting in each breath.

Vader took his hand from her throat, and for the briefest of moments rested his helmet against her forehead. The metal was cool and smooth against her burning skin.

He raised his head and she opened her eyes. For an instant she saw herself through his eyes, and the face of his dead wife looked back at him.

He lifted a hand to her face but didn’t touch her, his fingers instead cradling the air round her cheek. When he spoke, his voice was quiet enough to be a whisper.

“Why are you alive, and she is dead?”

Sabé squeezed her eyes shut. He severed the connection between them, and the shock of it brought her to her knees.

She wrapped her arms round her pounding head, bent low to the ground, and gave way to the wracking sobs that tore through her.

***

Sabé had no idea how long she stayed there. Her uncontrollable weeping gave way to a silent numbness, and she could have been hunched over in the street for minutes or hours.

When she came to, she found that Vader and his entourage were long gone. The inhabitants of the lower levels were going about their business, studiously ignoring her and being careful to give her a wide berth. Whatever taint of fear Vader had left clearly lingered.

She made a move to unfold herself, and winced as her muscles protested. Her knee and the heels of her hand were caked with dried blood where she had grazed herself breaking her fall, and she ached from head to toe, but as far as she could tell she wasn’t hurt beyond that.

Sabé suddenly realised she was breathing normally, and touched her fingertips to her throat. She would get herself checked out by a medic again, but she knew the damage was gone. How she’d explain this all to Bail, she had no idea.

With an effort, she got to her feet and stood swaying for a moment as a couple of passers-by looked at her with unwelcome interest. Time to be going, she told herself.

She checked for her blaster, which she was relieved to find still in its holster. She allowed herself one more moment to gather herself, then set off through the streets of the lower levels, forcing herself to keep her pace steady to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Sabé made her way back towards her apartment, her head full of the events of the night.

***

That was the first, last and only time that Darth Vader ever healed anyone.

**Author's Note:**

> I just thought I’d explain my thinking behind a couple of things, which would have made things clunky if I’d tried to spell them out in the text itself. (Ah, the joys of fic, where we can share the headcanons behind our own writing!)
> 
> The way I view Vader’s motives in this is that faced with Sabé, wearing the face of his dead wife, and with no one around who would understand what was going on, he does for Sabé what he didn’t (and now can never) do for his wife, and heals her. He’s not doing it for Sabé’s sake, but rather for Padmé’s, and it doesn’t change his hatred of Sabé - hence his brutal severing of the connection).
> 
> I don’t see Sabé as being particularly Force-sensitive - I do see her (along with plenty of other non-Jedi) as more Force-sensitive than average, but nothing remarkable. The way I imagine the Force encounter with Vader is that his Force sensitivity kind of leaks out, and enables this encounter to happen. Vader is so powerful, and his power isn’t completely under control, and he’s kind of vulnerable in this situation, faced with Sabé and thinking of Padmé. Sabé’s own Force sensitivity is just enough that it opens her up to this.
> 
> That’s what was in my head while writing this, but I don’t know how it came across - I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts!


End file.
